The present invention relates to an internal dilator (nose spreader) to expand the nasal passage (opening) in the nose of the user for producing substantially normal air-flow therethrough to reduce or eliminate snoring. The nasal dilator of the present invention overcomes the inherent detrimental problems and limitations of all known dilators, both internal and external.
The present invention is an outgrowth of my 24-year study of sleep as a research engineer. This long study resulted in my invention and development of a new sleeping system (bed) producing a deep sleep that greatly improves the quality of sleep while reducing the required time for the deep sleep to about 41/2-51/2 hours nightly from a normal of 7-8 hours.
It was clear in this long research that snoring severely detracts from the quality of sleep, and can cause several serious problems. Highway experts, engineers, medical people and state police everywhere all confirm that sleep deprivation is the cause of a large number of serious auto accidents with thousands of deaths and injuries, second only to drunk driving. From my sleep studies, I believe sleep deprivation is equal to or greater than drunk driving as a factor in auto accidents; I am convinced that 90-95% of all people have some degree of sleep deprivation as a result of poor beds, snoring and apnea. A recent Harvard study concluded that snoring and apnea increase the chance for an auto accident seven times.
Automobile engines provide an excellent analogy for the problems of sleep. The total horsepower (HP) produced by fuel and air entering an auto engine is called "indicated HP". Then the power just to run an inactive engine (as by an electric motor) is called "friction HP". The "brake HP" is the difference between the indicated HP and friction HP, and is the power available to run an automobile in travel, up and down hills, etc. A low friction HP provides more brake HP available for driving a car.
Similarly, the human "engine" requires fuel (food) and air plus the mysterious ingredient of sleep, to produce a total energy (comparable to indicated HP). When we sleep, our bodies slow down and the energy required to operate our "engine" in deep rest is reduced and can be compared to the friction HP of an auto engine.
Then the energy we have to use the next day is the difference between the total energy produced by our fuel (food) and air and the energy required when sleeping; and this difference can be compared to the brake HP of an engine. Deeper sleep requires less energy, so more energy is available the next day for our life activities. Any noise made by the sleeper, such as snoring, needs much energy which is wasted, so the sleeper has less energy to "spend" the next day.
In other words, sleep builds up an "energy bank" to be used the next day (like brake HP). Snoring requires a lot of energy, as do bells, horns, or any noise-maker. Hence when people snore, some of the "energy bank" is wasted in producing the noise, so less energy is available the next day thereby producing sleep deprivation. In view of all the foregoing, it is indeed worth the effort to eliminate or reduce snoring.
In order to appreciate the great utility of the present invention, it is first necessary to consider the problems of snoring, and particularly why past dilators have failed to overcome these problems.
Doctors tell us that we should breathe only through our nasal passage because the air is warmed, moisturized, and filtered. Unfiltered air that reaches the lungs by mouth-breathing can cause lung problems because of contaminents carried by the air.
Snoring is produced when the nasal passage is abnormally restricted to cause mouth-breathing, especially when the sleeper rests on the back. The total nasal "passage" actually includes two openings formed by the septum. Hence any abnormal restriction of air-flow through the nasal passage can cause mouth-breathing and subsequent snoring by vibration of the tissues in the tongue, uvula and/or throat. This condition in extreme can also cause apnea, in which the sleeper gasps for air suddenly and often stops breathing because of oxygen deficiency, which can cause a heart attack and even death.
It is a principle of fluid dynamics that if an air passage includes a plurality of possible restrictions and one restriction is removed, the air passage can still be blocked if any one of the other possible restrictions fully or partly blocks the passage.
There are four possible factors that can cause a restriction of air through the nasal passage; (1) An abnormal restriction of the openings in the "nasal-valve" area. The nasal valve is a slight but normal narrowing of the nasal openings near the entrance of the nose; (2) Sinus problems can also cause an abnormal restriction of the nasal passage, (3) The turbinates, located in the inner surface of the outer wall of each nostril, can expand to cause an abnormal restriction of the nasal openings (to be discussed); (4) a deviated septum can also cause a restriction of the nasal openings; and (5) polyps develop, which can easily be removed by doctors.
Any one or more of these five factors can cause sufficient restriction of the nasal passage to produce mouth-breathing. Then the air-flow past the tongue surface and uvula can cause the tissues thereof to vibrate and produce snoring. Hence, any one or more of these five factors can indirectly cause snoring by forcing the sleeper to breathe through the mouth.
While a restriction in the nasal-valve area is probably the most common of the factors causing snoring, I am convinced that 90% of people who snore have more than one problem causing their snoring; they must identify their particular problem(s) with the help of an ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat), and when treated, there is a good chance they can end or reduce their snoring.
All nasal dilators, including the dilator of the present invention, can help only a restriction in the nasal-valve area, which might be the only problem. However, if a sleeper has a snoring problem in the nasal-valve area plus a sinus problem and/or a turbinate problem, for example, the new nasal dilator plus the help of an ENT doctor may enable the sleeper finally to overcome the snoring problem.
More specifically, the nose filters, warms, and moistens the air before entering the lungs. The nose contains a septum (the wall between the two nostrils) comprising cartilage and bone covered by a layer of mucous membrane. The sticky mucous lining of the nose and nasal passages provides a filter action, trapping dirt particles and bacteria in the air with the help of small hairs that project from the cavities.
Three turbinates are located on each of the insides of the outer walls of the nasal passage, separate from the septum. The turbinates are thin curlicues of bone with thick membranes curving from the outer part of the nose toward the septum. Erectile tissue is under the mucous membranes and is sensitive to temperature, causing tissues of the area to swell with the influx of blood when the air is dry, cold and/or contaminated with pollen, humidity, dust, allergens, etc. The turbinates warm and moisten the air in normal breathing. When the turbinates become erect, they swell to narrow the passages and produce mucus which causes the nose to run, especially when the sleeper is cold. If the nasal passages are abnormally narrowed by turbinate swelling, normal air-breathing is restricted enough to cause mouth-breathing and snoring. ENT doctors can treat this condition by relatively simple procedures with a high degree of success.
A sinus problem can restrict the nasal passages, and can be treated successfully by ENT doctors, especially with a relatively new minor operation. A deviated septum that restricts the nasal passage can also be corrected by an operation with a high degree of success.
I was motivated to develop the dilator of the present invention because my snoring detracts from the improved sleep produced by my new sleeping system. Because of the inherent restriction in my nasal valve area my breathing is about 60% of normal. I tried both internal and external dilators now on the market. One external dilator improved my breathing from 60% of normal to only about 70%, and the strong adhesive force irratated my skin which became red after only a few days of use; these characteristics are inherent in all external dilators, to be discussed.
The dilator of the present invention improved my breathing to at least 90% of normal and has not irritated my skin after about three years of use, all for reasons to be discussed. Also, the new dilator is not annoying and does not fall out. By contrast, internal dilators now on the market are annoying and/or fall out, which was my experience when using these nasal dilators.
The several causes of snoring because of mouth-breathing are important, but secondary since we are not supposed to breathe through our mouths. Hence, the first and major effort should be to do whatever is necessary to produce nasal breathing with the mouth closed, so air cannot flow through the mouth to produce snoring.
However, it is possible for some people to have an open nasal-passage and still breathe through the mouth if the lips are open. For proof, when a sleeper breathes through even a slightly open mouth, and then closes the lips while breathing out, nasal breathing is instantly restored. With this mouth-breathing, opening the nasal passage would do no good. This condition can occur because if both the nasal and oral passages are open, mouth-breathing is the path of least resistance for air-flow. For some people this condition might be overcome by keeping the head from tilting back by using a special pillow, or as explained in the next paragraph.
For snorers who breathe through the mouth even though the nasal passage is open and cannot correct this condition, then as a last resort, a direct solution for mouth-breathing is better than nothing--at least the noise and energy-loss are often eliminated. These "solutions" include fixtures by dentists to prevent the tongue-surface from vibrating; or surgical removal of tissues in this area, as by a recent improved procedure using radio frequency. Sometimes removal of all or part of the uvula helps but not always. However with these last-resort "solutions", the sleeper still breathes through the mouth, whereas proper breathing should be done through the nasal passages, according to doctors.
Snorers first must be patient in trying to solve any or all problems in the nasal passage. But a solution for the restriction in the nasal valve area is essential since doctors have no solution for this problem; only a good nasal dilator, when available on the market, can help to overcome this problem.
In view of all the foregoing, this widespread and very serious problem of snoring can prevent sound sleep which also cause severe head-on auto accidents; so it is important to solve this problem. A restriction in the nasal valve area is the only factor causing snoring for a large share of snorers; but a solution for this problem can have no effect on a sinus problem, turbinate problem, or a deviated septum. However, people who have any of these other three problems often can be treated by an ENT doctor with a high degree of success, as discussed.